In case you missed it, Dr. Rand Paul has had a busy week of working hard for Kentuckians.

Rand Paul Refuses to Support Rushed Legislation; Demands Sufficient Time to Read The Bill

On Thursday, Dr. Paul went to the Senate floor and objected to the unanimous consent request passage of H.R. 2576. He believes lawmakers should read legislation before voting on it. This legislation was being unnecessarily rushed without an opportunity for review. The bill in question, an update to the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, includes a preemption of states, which must be considered very seriously. It proposes a federal takeover of regulations by giving more power to the Environmental Protection Agency and proposes new criminal penalties at the federal level.

PAUL: “I promised the people of Kentucky that I would read every bill before voting for or against it. I couldn’t in good conscience today support this significant piece of legislation without being given an opportunity to examine it closely.”

Paul Shows Commitment to Reading The Bills “Once again, Rand Paul shows why it is he was elected in the first place. During a vote on HR 2576, Rand Paul took to the floor to voice his objections of not only the bill, but the way it was being pushed through without giving lawmakers ample time to read and understand it.” (Red State, 5.26.16)

On Wednesday, Paul introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would specifically allow the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to continue producing natural gas at Fort Knox in Kentucky. This would ultimately enable Fort Knox to become the only military installation capable of self-sustainment in the country. For the past 20 years, Fort Knox has become the first military installation to provide their own power, heat, gas, water, and wastewater elimination all from on-post resources. In May 2015, Fort Knox successfully demonstrated their ability to fully operate without outside assistance.

This issue is a priority for Dr. Paul, and is not the first time he has pushed for energy independence for the Fort Knox community:

February 2016: Paul Introduces Bill To Help Fort Knox Energy Independence “Allowing the Department of Defense to produce natural gas at Fort Knox would not only be cost-effective for the government, but beneficial for the Fort Knox community,” Paul said in a news release. Paul’s bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Last year, Fort Knox officials projected $8 million in annual savings from reduced energy costs because of the move to self-sufficiency. (WFPL, 2/16/16)

PAUL: “Fort Knox is leading the way in cost-effectiveness and ingenuity when it comes to natural gas development and sustainability. While the Department of Interior is usually responsible for the development of federal lands, this amendment would codify an exception for already successfully developed facilities which benefit Fort Knox and the surrounding communities.”

Rand Paul Introduces Amendment to NDAA Requiring Census Bureau to Count All Service Members

Dr. Paul introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would mandate the Census Bureau to count all deployed service members at the base or port in which they resided prior to deployment. This legislation benefits thousands of U.S. service men and women by creating a consistent and logical method for counting service members deployed overseas in the U.S. Census at their residence at their last duty station.

Just yesterday, the Kentucky New Era reported that this issue is still an important problem that needs to be addressed:

“[Hopkinsville Mayor Carter] Hendricks said he takes the census figures “with a grain of salt” because of how service members are taken into account in the census formula. “Generally, we know there is an undercount,” Hendricks said. “We just don’t know how large it is.” In terms of how the census counts the military population, Hendricks sees two issues. The first is how the group affects the actual census every 10 years, and how it counts soldiers who are deployed. For the 2010 census, about 10,000 soldiers were deployed and counted at their last home on record, which was likely somewhere else, the mayor explained.”

This week’s amendment is not the first time Dr. Paul has pushed to enact this beneficial legislation for Kentucky’s military communities like Fort Knox and Fort Campbell. His continual focus on this issue is evident of his commitment to working hard on behalf of Kentucky’s service members and their families:

Bill would change how service members are counted in the Census “U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, and two other Republican legislators from Kentucky are sponsoring bills that would change the way Armed Service members are counted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Paul has joined U.S. Reps. Brett Guthrie and Ed Whitfield in proposing a plan to more accurately count deployed service members through the Census by including them as part of military communities where they are stationed and live.” (Elizabethtown News Enterprise, 5/2/12)

Paul's Amendment Would Change How Deployed Military Are Counted in Census “Senator Paul, a Republican from Bowling Green, told WKU Public Radio the change would make a big difference to communities around Fort Campbell. Paul’s amendment, known as the Service Members and Communities Count Act, was added to the National Defense Authorization Act Thursday. Two years ago, the same amendment was attached to legislation but was ultimately removed before the bill was signed into law.” (WKYU, 6/22/15)

PAUL: "I believe that every deployed service member has a right to be counted by their government when a census is conducted. The passage of this amendment will ensures that those who have given so much for our country will be recognized in the communities they live in."

On Tuesday, Dr. Paul reaffirmed his support for the Military Justice Improvement Act, and joined a bipartisan group of senators to advocate for its passage this year. Paul has been an outspoken supporter of this bill since its introduction in 2013, and believes that “no one should have to go to their boss to report a rape.”

Paul Joins Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Behalf of Sexual Assault Victims in Military “A bipartisan group of senators is renewing its push to take prosecution decisions on military sexual assault cases out of the chain of command as an amendment to the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act … When Gillibrand spoke about the amendment on Tuesday morning at the Capitol, she was joined by Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Chuck Grassley as well as Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Mazie Hirono.” (Washington Examiner, 5/24/16)

$1.8 Billion of Your Money Wasted: A Year of Wasteful Spending

Since being elected to the Senate in 2010, Dr. Paul has been a loud voice for getting our nation’s fiscal matters under control. He has tirelessly advocated that we reduce our nation’s $19 trillion and growing debt, has proposed several balanced budgets, and continually pushes to cut our government’s irresponsible and wasteful spending.

To show just how much money our government is wasting, every week, Dr. Paul highlights examples of outrageous government waste through “The Waste Report.” Over the last year alone, the Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management (FSO) under his leadership has uncovered over $1.8 billion in wasteful spending on frivolous projects. This level of spending, which equates to nearly $35 million per week, matches the tax liability of approximately 250,000 average American taxpayers.

Recently, Rand Paul for Senate 2016 released an online quiz so Kentuckians can test their knowledge of government waste.

Bipartisan Bill Discouraging ‘Use It Or Lose It’ Gov’t Spending Moves Through Senate “A bipartisan bill offering bonuses to federal employees who suggest ways to cut their agencies’ wasteful spending is making its way through the Senate. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs approved the “Bonuses for Cost Cutters Act” in a 9-5 vote Wednesday. The bill was sponsored by Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and co-sponsored by 10 other Republicans and three Democrats.” (Daily Caller, 5/25/15)

PAUL: “I am pleased that my legislation has received bipartisan support and is on its way to full passage in the U.S. Senate. My bill will incentivize government employees to find, report and eliminate government waste, fraud and abuse throughout our bloated federal government.”